Upon arriving at 60 to Escape in Gurnee, Illinois, we found ourselves surprised and excited to see an update to their entrance and lobby area! Because they bought more store space in the mall, they were able to completely redo their lobby. There is a ton of room, lots of unique seating, tons of puzzles and games, a selfie station, and amazing new merchandise! In addition, they added on a party/meeting room for big groups or corporate groups. If their lobby was this updated, we couldn’t wait to see what they had accomplished for their brand-new room.

Let us tell you, we were not disappointed. Let’s start by saying that their new intro videos were actually connected to the room (lights, sounds, etc.) to really make you feel immersed before you even start playing! Before we talk about immersion, however, I do want to tip my hat to Stephen and Stevie for the quality of the room they created. The set itself has great attention to detail, and the décor and items inside are of the highest quality. The mechanics worked flawlessly, there are secrets and surprises throughout that even after over 100 rooms, we didn’t see coming, and we even had a member saying throughout the room that it felt like “Disney” quality. This set is no joke, and the company’s efforts definitely paid off.

So let’s talk about immersion. With a set this amazing, it should be no surprise that we found ourselves quite easily immersed. The story had a clear objective, we were the first-person characters in the story, and it progressed with some “twists,” which was something we feel is above and beyond for rooms in our area. If you find yourself in need of a clue, even the clue system is integrated into the story in a way that will not take you from immersion. In addition, the surprises and big reveals helped to keep us wanting more and amped up the excitement and pressure throughout the room.

The puzzles in this room were phenomenal. No puzzle was too difficult to solve, however, they still provided enough of a challenge to be fun. They seemed intuitive and logical, fit the story well, and everything we saw was creatively used. Of course, the goal in an escape room is to feel less like you are “solving puzzles” and more like you are a character making your way through a scenario—Mystery Manor hit the point on that one! We really did feel like we were the characters, and the puzzles did not feel out of place. The twists, turns, and unexpected surprises were quite welcomed. When we really nit-picked, the only negative we could think of is that in one puzzle there was a very small technology delay (but it was worth it!).

So, did we have fun? If you couldn’t tell from our review so far, YES! This was one of the most fun rooms we have ever done. One of our members came out feeling like they were shaking with excitement, another wanted to immediately do it again! This room was exciting and exhilarating from before the time began, to after we had escaped. Mystery Manor had it all, from a great pre-room experience, to an immersive story and set, to puzzles that were creative and unique. Before we even left the premises, we were thinking about all the people we know that we want to take to play this room. If you’re in the area, this room is a must!